Systems and methods for contest funds management

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods to provide players with the ability fund a contest purse for an online video game competition, or other type of contest between players. The funds are sourced from financial accounts that are associated with each player. Upon conclusion of the contest and the determination of a winner, the funds that were held in the contest purse are transferred to the financial account of the contest winner.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Ser. No. 63/024,561, filedon May 14, 2020, U.S. Ser. No. 62/988,987, filed on Mar. 13, 2020, andon U.S. Ser. No. 62/898,070, filed, Sep. 10, 2019, the disclosures ofeach are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.

BACKGROUND

An online game is a video game played over a network on some form ofcomputer, mobile device, or on a video game console, such as aMICROSOFT® XBOX® or a SONY® PLAYSTATION®, for example. Online games canrange from simple text based games to mobile games to gamesincorporating complex graphics and virtual worlds populated by manyplayers simultaneously. Many online games are contests that requireskill and strategy and have a social aspect beyond single player games.For example, players can compete head-to-head, on a team, in atournament, or for the highest score on a leader board. Examplecategories of online skill-based contests include first person shooters,real time strategy games, social games, role-playing games, board games,card games, and so forth. Many online games are inherently competitivecontests with players relying on skill and proficiency to defeatopponents.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

It is believed that certain embodiments will be better understood fromthe following description taken in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings, in which like references indicate similar elements and inwhich:

FIGS. 1-4 depict players interacting with example contest fundsmanagement computing systems in accordance with non-limitingembodiments.

FIGS. 5-8 depict teams of players interacting with example contest fundsmanagement computing systems in accordance with non-limitingembodiments.

FIGS. 9-10 depict the balances of various accounts over time inaccordance with non-limiting embodiments.

FIGS. 11-31 depict example simplified user interfaces in accordance withvarious embodiments.

FIGS. 32-33 depict additional examples of contest funds managementcomputing systems in accordance with non-limiting embodiments.

FIGS. 34-35 depict additional example simplified user interfaces inaccordance with various embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Various non-limiting embodiments of the present disclosure will now bedescribed to provide an overall understanding of the principles of thestructure, function, and use of systems, apparatuses, devices, andmethods disclosed. One or more examples of these non-limitingembodiments are illustrated in the selected examples disclosed anddescribed in detail with reference made to FIGS. 1-35 in theaccompanying drawings. Those of ordinary skill in the art willunderstand that systems, apparatuses, devices, and methods specificallydescribed herein and illustrated in the accompanying drawings arenon-limiting embodiments. The features illustrated or described inconnection with one non-limiting embodiment may be combined with thefeatures of other non-limiting embodiments. Such modifications andvariations are intended to be included within the scope of the presentdisclosure.

The systems, apparatuses, devices, and methods disclosed herein aredescribed in detail by way of examples and with reference to thefigures. The examples discussed herein are examples only and areprovided to assist in the explanation of the apparatuses, devices,systems and methods described herein. None of the features or componentsshown in the drawings or discussed below should be taken as mandatoryfor any specific implementation of any of these apparatuses, devices,systems or methods unless specifically designated as mandatory. For easeof reading and clarity, certain components, modules, or methods may bedescribed solely in connection with a specific figure. In thisdisclosure, any identification of specific techniques, arrangements,etc. are either related to a specific example presented or are merely ageneral description of such a technique, arrangement, etc.Identification of specific details or examples are not intended to be,and should not be, construed as mandatory or limiting unlessspecifically designated as such. Any failure to specifically describe acombination or sub-combination of components should not be understood asan indication that any combination or sub-combination is not possible.It will be appreciated that modifications to disclosed and describedexamples, arrangements, configurations, components, elements,apparatuses, devices, systems, methods, etc. can be made and may bedesired for a specific application. Also, for any methods described,regardless of whether the method is described in conjunction with a flowdiagram, it should be understood that unless otherwise specified orrequired by context, any explicit or implicit ordering of stepsperformed in the execution of a method does not imply that those stepsmust be performed in the order presented, but instead may be performedin a different order or in parallel.

Reference throughout the specification to “various embodiments,” “someembodiments,” “one embodiment,” “some example embodiments,” “one exampleembodiment,” or “an embodiment” means that a particular feature,structure, or characteristic described in connection with any embodimentis included in at least one embodiment. Thus, appearances of the phrases“in various embodiments,” “in some embodiments,” “in one embodiment,”“some example embodiments,” “one example embodiment, or “in anembodiment” in places throughout the specification are not necessarilyall referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the particularfeatures, structures or characteristics may be combined in any suitablemanner in one or more embodiments.

Throughout this disclosure, references to components or modulesgenerally refer to items that logically can be grouped together toperform a function or group of related functions. Like referencenumerals are generally intended to refer to the same or similarcomponents. Components and modules can be implemented in software,hardware, or a combination of software and hardware. The term “software”is used expansively to include not only executable code, for examplemachine-executable or machine-interpretable instructions, but also datastructures, data stores and computing instructions stored in anysuitable electronic format, including firmware, and embedded software.The terms “information” and “data” are used expansively and include awide variety of electronic information, including executable code;content such as text, video data, and audio data, among others; andvarious codes or flags. The terms “information,” “data,” and “content”are sometimes used interchangeably when permitted by context. It shouldbe noted that. although for clarity and to aid in understanding, someexamples discussed herein might describe specific features or functionsas part of a specific component or module, or as occurring at a specificlayer of a computing device (for example, a hardware layer, operatingsystem layer, or application layer), those features or functions may beimplemented as part of a different component or module or operated at adifferent layer of a communication protocol stack. Those of ordinaryskill in the art will recognize that the systems, apparatuses, devices,and methods described herein can be applied to, or easily modified foruse with, other types of equipment, can use other arrangements ofcomputing systems, and can use other protocols, or operate at otherlayers in communication protocol stacks, than are described.

As described in more detail below, the present disclosure generallyrelates to contest funds management. While many of the followingexamples are described in the context of online video games for thepurposes of illustration, this disclosure is not so limited. Instead,the systems, apparatuses, devices, and methods described herein can beapplicable to a variety of skill-based contests that two or more playersmay compete in, either head to head or as part of a team. In accordancewith various embodiments, a plurality of players can engage with aplatform via a computing device such that each can create a playerprofile and load funds into a financial account. The financial accountcan be linked to a payment vehicle, such as a prepaid card, or any othertype of closed loop or open loop card, thereby giving the player accessto the funds in the financial account to make purchases. The player canfund their financial account with funds from any suitable source offunds.

Through the platform, two or more players can agree to enter into acontest, such as an online video game competition. Each player cancontribute funds from their financial account into a contest purse. Theplatform can electronically communicate with the financial institutionthat holds the financial accounts to effectuate the funding of thecontest purse by the players. Upon conclusion of the contest and thedetermination of a winner, the platform can effectuate transfer of fundsthat were held in the contest purse to the financial account of thewinner. As described in more detail below, the platform can be whollyseparate from the gaming system on which the contest was played, withthe players providing contest outcome information to the platform.Alternatively, the platform can receive information directly from thesystem on which the contest was played, such as via a data feed. Inother embodiments, the platform can be incorporated directly into, orotherwise leveraged by, the gaming system.

Referring now to FIG. 1, one example embodiment of the presentdisclosure can comprise a contest funds management computing system 100.The contest funds management computing system 100 can be provided usingany suitable processor-based device or system, such as a personalcomputer, laptop, server, mainframe, or a collection (e.g., network) ofmultiple computers, for example. The contest funds management computingsystem 100 can include one or more processors 102 and one or morecomputer memory units 104. For convenience, only one processor 102 andonly one memory unit 104 are shown in FIG. 1. The processor 102 canexecute software instructions stored on the memory unit 104. Theprocessor 102 can be implemented as an integrated circuit (IC) havingone or multiple cores. The memory unit 104 can include volatile and/ornon-volatile memory units. Volatile memory units can include randomaccess memory (RAM), for example. Non-volatile memory units can includeread only memory (ROM), for example, as well as mechanical non-volatilememory systems, such as, for example, a hard disk drive, an optical diskdrive, etc. The RAM and/or ROM memory units can be implemented asdiscrete memory ICs, for example.

The memory unit 104 can store executable software and data for thecontest funds management computing system 100. When the processor 102 ofthe contest funds management computing system 100 executes the software,the processor 102 can be caused to perform the various operations of thecontest funds management computing system 100. Data used by the contestfunds management computing system 100 can be from various sources, suchas a database(s) 106, which can be am electronic computer database, forexample. The data stored in the database(s) 106 can be stored in anon-volatile computer memory, such as a hard disk drive, a read onlymemory (e.g., a ROM IC), or other types of non-volatile memory. In someembodiments, one or more databases 106 can be stored on a remoteelectronic computer system, for example. As it to be appreciated, avariety of other databases, or other types of memory storage structures,can be utilized or otherwise associated with the contest fundsmanagement computing system 100. The database 106 can store, forexample, player accounts 108 that are associated with users of thecontest funds management computing system 100. The player accounts 108can include profiles for users of the contest funds management computingsystem 100. Further, additional information used by the contest fundsmanagement computing system 100 can come from other data sources, suchas hosted contest environments (as shown in FIG. 2), among a variety ofother data sources.

The contest funds management computing system 100 can be incommunication with various player computing devices, shown as computingdevices 130 and 140, via an electronic communications network. Thecommunications network can include a number of computer and/or datanetworks, including the Internet, LANs, WANs, GPRS networks, etc., andcan comprise wired and/or wireless communication links.

FIG. 1 shows a first player 138 and a second player 148, which are eachassociated with one or more of the respective computing devices 130 and140. While FIG. 1 schematically shows two players for illustrationpurposes, it is to be appreciated that the systems and methods describedherein can be used simultaneously by any suitable number of players,each of which may be geographically remote from one another. Thecomputing devices 130 and 140 can be any type of computer devicesuitable for communication over the network, such as a wearablecomputing device, a mobile telephone, a tablet computer, a device thatis a combination handheld computer and mobile telephone (sometimesreferred to as a “smart phone”), a personal computer (such as a laptopcomputer, netbook computer, desktop computer, and so forth), or anyother suitable mobile communications device, such as personal digitalassistants (PDA), gaming devices, or media players, for example.Examples of wearable computing device (sometimes referred to as a“wearable”) include devices that incorporate an augmented reality orvirtual reality head-mounted display as well as other computing devicesthat can be worn by players 138 and 148. For illustration purposes, thefirst player's computing devices 130 are schematically shown to includeany of a mobile device 132, a gaming system 134, and a computing device136. The second player's computing devices 140 are also shown to includeany of a mobile device 142, a gaming system 144, and a computing device146.

The computing devices 130 and 140 can, in some embodiments, provide avariety of applications for allowing the players 138 and 148 toaccomplish one or more specific tasks using the contest funds managementcomputing system 100. Applications can include, without limitation, aweb browser application (e.g., INTERNET EXPLORER, MOZILLA, FIREFOX,SAFARI, OPERA, NETSCAPE NAVIGATOR) telephone application (e.g.,cellular, VoIP, PTT), networking application, messaging application(e.g., e-mail, IM, SMS, MMS, BLACKBERRY Messenger), social mediaapplications, and so forth. The computing devices 130 and 140 cancomprise various software programs such as system programs andapplications to provide computing capabilities in accordance with thedescribed embodiments. System programs can include, without limitation,an operating system (OS), device drivers, programming tools, utilityprograms, software libraries, application programming interfaces (APIs),and so forth. Exemplary operating systems can include, for example, aPALM OS, MICROSOFT OS, APPLE OS, ANDROID OS, UNIX OS, LINUX OS, SYMBIANOS, EMBEDIX OS, Binary Run-time Environment for Wireless (BREW) OS,JavaOS, a Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) OS, and others.

The computing devices 130 and 140 can include various components forinteracting with the contest funds management computing system 100. Thecomputing devices 130 and 140 can include components for use with one ormore applications such as a stylus, a touch-sensitive screen, keys(e.g., input keys, preset and programmable hot keys), buttons (e.g.,action buttons, a multidirectional navigation button, preset andprogrammable shortcut buttons), switches, a microphone, speakers, anaudio headset, and so forth.

The players 138 and 148 can interact with the contest funds managementcomputing system 100 via a variety of other electronic communicationstechniques, such as, without limitation, HTTP requests, in-appmessaging, in-game messaging, and short message service (SMS) messages.The electronic communications can be generated by a specializedapplication executed on the computing devices 130 and 140 or can begenerated using one or more applications that are generally standard tothe computing devices 130 and 140. The applications can include or beimplemented as executable computer program instructions stored oncomputer-readable storage media such as volatile or non-volatile memorycapable of being retrieved and executed by a processor to provideoperations for the computing devices 130 and 140. The memory 104 canalso store various databases and/or other types of data structures(e.g., arrays, files, tables, records) for storing data for use by theprocessor 102 and/or other elements of the computing devices 130 and140.

As shown in FIG. 1, the contest funds management computing system 100can include several computer servers and databases. For example, thecontest funds management computing system 100 can include one or moreweb servers 110, application servers 112, and/or any other type ofservers. For convenience, only one web server 110 and one applicationserver 112 are shown in FIG. 1, although it should be recognized thatthe disclosure is not so limited. The servers can cause content to besent to the computing devices 130 and 140 in any number of formats, suchas text-based messages, multimedia message, email messages, smart phonenotifications, web pages, and so forth. The servers 110 and 112 cancomprise processors (e.g., CPUs), memory units (e.g., RAM, ROM),non-volatile storage systems (e.g., hard disk drive systems), etc. Theservers 110 and 112 can utilize operating systems, such as Solaris,Linux, or Windows Server operating systems, for example.

The web server 110 can provide a graphical web user interface throughwhich various users of the system can interact with the contest fundsmanagement computing system 100. The web server 110 can accept requests,such as HTTP requests, from clients (such as web browsers on thecomputing devices 130 and 140), and serve the clients responses, such asHTTP responses, along with optional data content, such as web pages(e.g., HTML documents) and linked objects (such as images, video, and soforth).

The application server 112 can provide a user interface for users who donot communicate with the contest funds management computing system 100using a web browser. Such users can have special software installed ontheir computing device 130 and 140 that allows them to communicate withthe application server 112 via the network. Such software can bedownloaded, for example, from the contest funds management computingsystem 100, or other software application provider, over the network tosuch computing devices 130 and 140.

The contest funds management computing system 100 can also be incommunication with a financial institution 114 via a communicationnetwork connection. In some embodiments, the contest funds managementcomputing system 100 is in communication with the financial institution114 via a closed-loop private network. The financial institution 114 canmaintain various accounts, such as prepaid accounts or demand depositaccounts. In the illustrated embodiment, the financial institution 114maintains a prepaid account 116 on behalf of the first player 138 andanother prepaid account 118 on behalf of the second player 148. Each ofthe accounts 116 and 118 can have a balance of funds that are accessibleby the player. Furthermore, payment vehicles can be issued to each ofthe players to facilitate access to funds in the accounts 116 and 118for financial transactions. In the illustrated embodiment, a firstgeneral purpose reloadable card 124 is issued to the first player 138and a second general purpose reloadable card 126 is issued to the secondplayer 148. Each of these cards 124 and 126 can be provided in anysuitable format, such as a physical card with a magnetic stripe, opticalcode, or an embedded chip, for example. Additionally or alternatively,the cards 124 and 126 can be a “virtual” card that is associated with amobile wallet accessible through a mobile communication device, forexample.

The players 138 and 148 can load funds into the accounts 116 and 118using funds from player funding sources 120 and 122, respectively. Thefunding sources 120 and 122 can include any suitable source, such ascredit or debit card accounts, checking accounts, savings accounts,prepaid accounts, and so forth. Further, the financial institution 114can load funds into the accounts 116 and 188 via any suitable transfertechnique, such as intra-bank transfer, automated clearing house (ACH)transfer, and so forth.

Through interactions with the contest funds management computing system100 via their computing devices 130 and 140, each player 138 and 148 canopt to select an amount of funds from their respective accounts 116 and118 to be placed into a purse associated with a particular contest inwhich the players 138 and 148 will be competing. FIG. 1 depicts each ofthe players 138 and 148 competing in a contest that is facilitatedthrough a hosted contest environment 128. In accordance with onenon-limiting embodiment, the hosted contest environment 128 is providedby EPIC GAMES®, although this disclosure is not so limited. Each player138 and 148 can interact with the hosted contest environment 128 via asuitable computing device 130 and 140 to compete in the competition. Itis noted that the computing devices 130 and 140 used by the players 138and 148 to interact with the hosted contest environment 128 can beeither the same device or a different device than was used by theplayers 138 and 148 to interact with the contest funds managementcomputing system 100. By way of example, the first player 138 mayinteract with the contest funds management computing system 100 via amobile device 132 but play in a contest on the hosted contestenvironment 128 by using a gaming system 134 or other computing device136, such as a laptop or desktop computer.

Once a winner of the contest is declared, one or both of the players 138and 148 can provide an identification of the winner to the contest fundsmanagement computing system 100. In the illustrated embodiment, thewinner of the contest is one of the first player 138 or the secondplayer 148. Based on the winner, the contest funds management computingsystem 100 can communicate funding instructions to the financialinstitution 114. The funding instructions can generally instruct thefinancial institution 114 to transfer funds from the contest purse toeither the first player's account 116 or the second player's account118, based on who is deemed the winner of the contest. As is to beappreciated, in some embodiments, at least a portion of the contestpurse (such as a percentage of the purse or a flat-fee amount) may betransferred to a financial account associated with the contest fundsmanagement computing system 100, or other entity or entities, with theremaining funds being transferred to the winner's account. In any event,once the funds are transferred to the winner's account, in accordancewith various embodiments, the winner can access the funds in real-timetime via the payment vehicle associated with the financial account.Furthermore, as described in more detail below, in accordance withvarious embodiments of contest funds management computing systems, thecontest funds management computing system may provide a disputeresolution function, allowing players to challenge the outcome of thecontest and the purse payout.

FIG. 2 depicts another embodiment of a contest funds managementcomputing system 200 that is configured to facilitate funds transfersbetween accounts 216 and 218 at a financial institution 214. Similar toFIG. 1, each of the accounts 216 and 218 can be associated with a firstplayer 238 and a second player 248, respectively. Each player also canbe issued a payment vehicle 224 and 226, which are shown as generalpurpose reloadable cards in FIG. 2, although this disclosure is not solimited. Also similar to FIG. 1, the contest funds management computingsystem 200 can include a processor 202, a memory unit 204, and adatabase 206 storing player account information 208. The contest fundsmanagement computing system 200 can also include, for example, a webserver 210 and an app server 212. The players 238 and 248 can agree toenter into a contest on a hosted contest environment 228. Throughinteractions with the contest funds management computing system 200 viatheir respective computing devices 230 and 240, the players 238 and 248can cause a contest purse to be funded with funds from their accounts216 and 218.

In this embodiment, however, a data feed 250 is used to supply contestinformation from the hosted contest environment 228 to the contest fundsmanagement computing system 200. The data feed 250 can be any suitabletype of communications link, such as an Application ProgrammingInterface (API), which is configured to provide either unidirectional orbidirectional communication between the contest funds managementcomputing system 200 and the hosted contest environment 228. In thisregard, the data feed 250 can be used by the contest funds managementcomputing system 200 to receive information regarding the contestbetween the players 238 and 248 that is being played on the hostedcontest environment 228. The information received from the hostedcontest environment 228 can vary based on implementation. In someembodiments, the data feed 250 is a relatively basic feed that providesto the contest funds management computing system 200 data thatidentifies the winner of the contest. In other embodiments, the datafeed 250 is more robust and provides other information, such asreal-time scoring, player-related information, contest-relatedinformation, or any other information that can be used by the contestfunds management computing system 200.

FIG. 3 depicts another embodiment of a contest funds managementcomputing system 300 that is configured to facilitate funds transfersbetween accounts 316 and 318 at a financial institution 314. Similar tothe previous embodiments, each of the accounts 316 and 318 can beassociated with a first player 338 and a second player 348,respectively. Each player also can be issued a payment vehicle 324 and326, which are shown as general purpose reloadable cards in FIG. 3,although this disclosure is not so limited. The players 338 and 348 canagree to enter into a contest on a hosted contest environment 328. Inthis embodiment, however, the players utilize their computing devices330 and 340 to interact directly with the hosted contest environment 328via communications 352 and 354 to cause a contest purse to be fundedwith funds from their accounts 316 and 318. For example, the hostedcontest environment 328 can provide in-game menu options to allow theplayers 338 and 348 to designate a contest, fund a contest purse, and soforth. The hosted contest environment 328, via communications 350, canrelay the information related to the contest to the contest fundsmanagement computing system 300. In turn, the contest funds managementcomputing system 300 provides the necessary communications to thefinancial institution 314 to fund a purse associated with a contestbetween the first player 338 and the second player 348. At theconclusion of the contest, the hosted contest environment 328 canprovide the winner information to the contest funds management computingsystem 300 so that the purse funds can be appropriately distributed.

FIG. 4 depicts another embodiment of a contest funds managementcomputing system 400 that is configured to facilitate funds transfersbetween accounts 416 and 418 at a financial institution 414. Similar tothe previous embodiments, each of the accounts 416 and 418 can beassociated with a first player 438 and a second player 448,respectively. Each player also can be issued a payment vehicle 424 and426, which are shown as general purpose reloadable cards in FIG. 4,although this disclosure is not so limited. The players 438 and 448 canagree to enter into a contest on a hosted contest environment 428. Inthis embodiment, the players utilize their computing devices 430 and 440to interact directly with the hosted contest environment 428 viacommunications 452 and 454 thereby causing a contest purse to be fundedwith funds from their accounts 416 and 418. The hosted contestenvironment 428, in this embodiment, incorporates the contest fundsmanagement computing system 400. The contest funds management computingsystem 400 of the hosted contest environment 428 provides the necessarycommunications to the financial institution 414 to fund a purseassociated with a contest between the first player 438 and the secondplayer 448. At the conclusion of the contest, the contest fundsmanagement computing system 400 can communicate with the financialinstitution 414 so that the purse funds can be appropriatelydistributed.

Hosted contest environments, such as any of hosted contest environments128, 228, 328, and 428, can be provided by, for example, XBOX,PLAYSTATION, GOOGLE STADIA, NINTENDO, or STEAM, among a variety ofothers providers of hosted contest environments. As is known in the art,such hosted contest environments can maintain a profile for players,which are sometimes referred to as a gamer profile, a player profile, ora user profile, for example. The profiles can, for example, include apicture or avatar of the player, biographical information, playerstatistics, as well as a variety of other player information. Inaccordance with the present embodiment, a player account for a playerthat is maintained by a contest funds management computing system (suchas any of the contest funds management computing systems 100, 200, 300,and 400) can be connected to or otherwise linked to the profile for thatplayer that is maintained by the hosted contest environment. As such,information from the player account can be reflected in the player'sprofile when the player is accessing their profile. Additionally oralternatively, information from the player's profile can be reflected inthe player account when the player is accessing their player account.

While FIGS. 1-4 schematically depict single player versus single player(i.e., head-to-head), it is to be appreciated that other contest typescan utilize the systems and methods described herein. FIGS. 5-8, forexample, depict team-style contests in which a first team having aplurality of players competes in a contest against a second team havinga plurality of players. Each player on each team can contribute to apurse, with the purse ultimately being distributed to the players on thewinning team. In accordance with various embodiments, contest fundsmanagement computing systems can facilitate both head-to-head contestpurses and team-vs-team contest purses.

FIG. 5 depicts a contest funds management computing system 500 thatfacilitates contest purse management for a first team 530 (Team A) and asecond team 540 (Team B). The first team 530 can include any suitablenumber of players, shown as players 1 . . . N. The second team 540 caninclude any suitable number of players, shown as players 1 . . . N. Eachof the players on the first team 530 can be associated with a respectivepayment vehicle 524 and each of the players on the second team 540 canbe associated with a respective payment vehicle 526. Each paymentvehicle 524 and 526 can be used by the respective player 530 and 540 toaccess funds held in a respective financial account 516 at a financialinstitution 514. The financial accounts 516 of the players can each befunded from external funding sources.

Through interactions with the contest funds management computing system500 via their computing devices (not shown), each player on both teams530 and 540 can opt to select an amount of funds from their respectiveaccounts 516 to be placed into a purse associated with a particularcontest in which the teams will be competing. FIG. 5 depicts each of theteams 530 and 540 competing in a contest that is facilitated through ahosted contest environment 528. In accordance with one non-limitingembodiment, the hosted contest environment 528 is provided by EPICGAMES®, although this disclosure is not so limited. Each player of eachteam 530 and 540 can interact with the hosted contest environment 528via a suitable computing device to compete in the competition.

Once a winning team of the contest is declared, the contest fundsmanagement computing system 500 can communicate funding instructions tothe financial institution 514. The funding instructions can generallyinstruct the financial institution 514 to transfer funds from thecontest purse to each of the accounts 516 of the players on the winningteam. Once the funds are transferred to each of the winning players'accounts, in accordance with various embodiments, the winners can accessthe funds in real-time time via the payment vehicles associated withthose financial accounts.

FIG. 6 depicts a contest funds management computing system 600 thatfacilitates contest purse management for a first team 630 (Team A) and asecond team 640 (Team B). The first team 630 can include a plurality ofplayers 1 . . . N. The second team 640 can include a plurality ofplayers 1 . . . N. Each of the players on the first team 630 can beassociated with a respective payment vehicle 624 and each of the playerson the second team 640 can be associated with a respective paymentvehicle 626. Each payment vehicle can be used by the respective playersto access funds held in a respective financial account 616 at afinancial institution 614. The financial accounts 616 of the players caneach be funded from external funding sources.

Through interactions with the contest funds management computing system600 via their computing devices (not shown), each player on both teams630 and 640 can opt to select an amount of funds from their respectiveaccounts 616 to be placed into a purse associated with a particularcontest in which the teams will be competing. FIG. 6 depicts each of theteams 630 and 640 competing in a contest that is facilitated through ahosted contest environment 628. In accordance with one non-limitingembodiment, the hosted contest environment 628 is provided by EPICGAMES®, although this disclosure is not so limited. Each player of eachteam 630 and 640 can interact with the hosted contest environment 628via a suitable computing device to compete in the competition.

In this embodiment, a data feed 650 is used to supply contestinformation from the hosted contest environment 628 to the contest fundsmanagement computing system 600. The data feed 650 can be any suitabletype of communications link, such as an Application ProgrammingInterface (API), which is configured to provide either unidirectional orbidirectional communication between the contest funds managementcomputing system 600 and the hosted contest environment 628. In thisregard, the data feed 650 can be used by the contest funds managementcomputing system 600 to receive information regarding the contestbetween the teams 630 and 640 that is being played on the hosted contestenvironment 628. The information received from the hosted contestenvironment 628 can vary based on implementation. In some embodiments,the data feed 650 is a relatively basic feed that provides the winner ofthe contest to the contest funds management computing system 600. Inother embodiments, the data feed 650 is more robust and provides otherinformation, such as real-time scoring, player-related information,team-related information, contest-related information, or any otherinformation that can be used by the contest funds management computingsystem 600.

FIG. 7 depicts a contest funds management computing system 700 thatfacilitates contest purse management for a first team 730 (Team A) and asecond team 740 (Team B). The first team 730 can include a plurality ofplayers 1 . . . N. The second team 740 can include a plurality ofplayers 1 . . . N. Each of the players on the first team 730 can beassociated with a respective payment vehicle 724 and each of the playerson the second team 740 can be associated with a respective paymentvehicle 726. Each payment vehicle can be used by the respective playerto access funds held in a respective financial account 716 at afinancial institution 714. The financial accounts 716 of the players caneach be funded from external funding sources.

In this embodiment, the teams interact directly with a hosted contestenvironment 728 via communications 752 and 754 (i.e., via suitablecomputing devices) to cause a contest purse to be funded with funds fromtheir respective accounts 716. For example, the hosted contestenvironment 728 can provide in-game menu options to allow the teams 730and 740 to designate a contest, fund a contest purse, and so forth. Thehosted contest environment 728, via communications 750, can relay theinformation related to the contest to the contest funds managementcomputing system 700. In turn, the contest funds management computingsystem 700 provides the necessary communications to the financialinstitution 714 to fund a purse associated with a contest between thefirst team 730 and the second team 740. At the conclusion of thecontest, the hosted contest environment 728 can provide the winnerinformation to the contest funds management computing system 700 so thatthe purse funds can be appropriately distributed.

FIG. 8 depicts a contest funds management computing system 800 thatfacilitates contest purse management for a first team 830 (Team A) and asecond team 840 (Team B). The first team 830 can include a plurality ofplayers 1 . . . N. The second team 840 can include a plurality ofplayers 1 . . . N. Each of the players on the first team 830 can beassociated with a respective payment vehicle 824 and each of the playerson the second team 840 can be associated with a respective paymentvehicle 826. Each payment vehicle can be used by the respective playerto access funds held in a respective financial account 816 at afinancial institution 814. The financial accounts 816 of the players caneach be funded from external funding sources. In this embodiment, theplayers utilize their computing devices to interact directly with ahosted contest environment 828 via communications 852 and 854 to cause acontest purse to be funded with funds from the accounts 816. The hostedcontest environment 828, in this embodiment, incorporates the contestfunds management computing system 800. The contest funds managementcomputing system 800 of the hosted contest environment 828 provides thenecessary communications to the financial institution 814 to fund apurse associated with a contest between the first team 830 and thesecond team 840. At the conclusion of the contest, the contest fundsmanagement computing system 800 can communicate with the financialinstitution 814 so that the purse funds can be appropriatelydistributed.

Referring now to FIG. 9, the balances of various accounts over time aredepicted in accordance with one non-limiting embodiment. As shown, afirst player 912 is associated with a player account 902 and a secondplayer 916 is associated with a player account 904. The first player 912is also associated with a payment vehicle 914, which can be, forexample, a general purpose reloadable card that is usable to accessfunds held in the player account 902. The second player 916 is alsoassociated with a payment vehicle 918, which can be, for example, ageneral purpose reloadable card that is usable to access funds held inthe player account 904. The first player 912 can use the payment vehicle914 for any of a variety of transactions 928 and the second player 916can use the payment vehicle 918 for any of a variety of transactions930. As shown, the transaction 928 and 930 can include, for example,transactions at brick-and-mortar merchants 920 (i.e., “card present”transactions), at online merchants 922 (i.e., “card not present”transactions), at ATMs 924, and at various service providers 926.

Both of the players 912 and 916 can access a contest funds managementcomputing system, such as any of the contest funds management computingsystems illustrated in FIGS. 1-8. In the illustrated embodiment, bothaccounts 902 and 904 are shown to start with a zero balance. The firstplayer 912 can fund the account 902 with funds from a funding source908. FIG. 9 depicts the first player 912 initially loading the account902 with $50. The second player 916 can fund the account 904 with fundsfrom a funding source 910. FIG. 9 depicts the second player 916initially loading the account 904 with $400.

Next, through a contest funds management computing system, both players912 and 916 agree to each fund a purse 906 with $10, thereby creating a$20 purse. The funds associated with the purse 906 can be held using anysuitable technique. For example, in some implementations, a financialinstitution may transfer the funds from each of the player's accounts902 and 904 into a temporary holding account. In other implementations,a financial institution may place a temporary authorization hold on thefunds in each of the player's accounts 902 and 904 that are tied to thepurse 906. Other approaches for holding player funds in the purse 906can be used without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

Once the outcome of the contest is determined, the funds held in thepurse 906 can be transferred to the winner's account, shown here as thefirst player's account 902. Thus, subsequent to the transfer, theaccount balance of the account 902 is increased by the amount of fundsin the purse 906 (less any fees or charges, as may be applicable).

Referring now to FIG. 10, the balances of various accounts over time aredepicted in accordance with another non-limiting embodiment. In thisembodiment, a team-based implementation is depicted. A first team 1002(shown as Team A) is associated with player accounts 1004 and 1006. Asecond team 1010 (shown as Team B) is associated with player accounts1012 and 1014. Furthermore, each account is associated with a paymentvehicle, which can be, for example, a general purpose reloadable cardthat is usable to access funds held in the player account. In theillustrated embodiment, all of the accounts 1004, 1006, 1012, and 1014are shown to start with a zero balance. The account 1004 is shown beingloaded with $150 from a funding source 1016. The account 1006 is shownbeing loaded with $100 from a funding source 1018. The account 1012 isshown being loaded with $75 from a funding source 1020. The account 1014is shown being loaded with $300 from a funding source 1022.

Next, through a contest funds management computing system, all of theplayers on the team can agree to each fund a purse 1008 with $50,thereby creating a $200 purse. As provided above, the funds associatedwith the purse 1008 can be held using any suitable technique. Once theoutcome of the contest is determined, the funds held in the purse 1008can be transferred to the accounts of the winning team, shown here asTeam B.

FIG. 11 is an example process 1100 that can be executed by a contestfunds management computing system, such as one of the contest fundsmanagement computing systems depicted in FIGS. 1-8. The process startsat 1102. At 1104, contest funds requests are received by a contest fundsmanagement computing systems from a player 1 and a player 2 in order toinitiate the funding of a purse for a contest between those players. At1106, the contest funds management computing system communicates with afinancial institution to transfer funds from player 1 account into aholding account. At 1108, the contest funds management computing systemcommunicates with a financial institution to transfer funds from player2 account into a holding account. It is to be appreciated, however, thatin other implementations different approaches can be used, such asutilizing an authorization hold, or other technique, to fund the contestpurse. At 1110, an indication of the contest outcome is received by thecontest funds management computing system. At 1112, the contest fundsmanagement computing system determines if there is a dispute over theoutcome of the contest. If there is no dispute, at 1120, the contestfunds management computing system communicates with the financialinstitution to transfer funds from the holding account to the winner'saccount. In embodiments utilizing authorization holds, the contest fundsmanagement computing system can cause the authorization holds to bereleased and then transfer funds from the loser's account to the winnersaccount. If there is a dispute, at 1114 the contest funds managementcomputing system can receive proof of the outcome.

The proof of the outcome can vary, but in some embodiments, the playerlodging the dispute can upload a screenshot of the video game that showsthe outcome of the contest. With regard to using a screenshot of thevideo game, such screenshot can be collected by a variety of suitabletechniques. In one embodiment, the screenshot can be collected directlyfrom the computing device upon which the contest is being held. In otherembodiments, the player may be instructed to use a camera on theirmobile phone to take a photo of the video game. In some implementations,the camera on the mobile phone (or other computing device) isautomatically activated by the contest funds management computingsystem. Once the camera is automatically activated, the user can collectand transmit an image. Triggering the use of the camera by the contestfunds management computing system can reduce the likelihood that theplayer fraudulently uploads a doctored or otherwise misleading photo asproof of outcome.

At 1116, the contest funds management computing system can analyze theproof of outcome submitted by the player to determine whether itconfirms the outcome originally received at 1110. In some embodiments,the analysis is performed manually by personnel. In other embodiments,the analysis is performed automatically, such as by image processing, amachine-learning algorithm, or other analytics. At 1118, if the outcomeof the contest is confirmed, the process proceeds to 1120 and thecontest funds management computing system communicates with thefinancial institution to transfer funds from the holding account to thewinner's account. If the outcome is not confirmed at 1118, the processproceeds to 1124 and the funds originally contributed to the purse arereturned to each of the players. Next at 1122, whether the outcome wasconfirmed or not, player feedback and ratings can be received from allof the players. Such player feedback and ratings can be viewed bysubsequent players accessing the contest funds management computingsystem. At 1126, the process ends.

In accordance with various embodiments, a contest funds managementcomputing system can maintain records with regard to which players havea history of being disputed as well as records regarding which playershave lost disputes brought against. Such players may be purposefullyreporting the wrong outcome in an attempt for personal gain and thecontest funds management computing system can automatically take actionto protect other users of the system. In some embodiments, the contestfunds management computing system can actively track each contest thatwas disputed, track which player lodged the dispute, track which playerthe dispute was lodged against, and track the outcome of the dispute. Ascore or other type of metric can be maintained for each player isdeemed to have recorded the wrong winner, or otherwise submitted falseinformation. Such score or metric can be presented using any suitabletechniques, such as a color code, a numeric score, and so forth. Forexample, a player may initially start with a green color status. If thatplayer loses a dispute based on the player attempting to report falseinformation, the player can be transitioned to a yellow status. Theyellow status is to indicate to others that the player has attempted toreport false information. Should that player lose another dispute, theplayer can be transitioned to a red status. Finally, should that playerlose yet another dispute, the player can be transitioned to a blackstatus. While having a black status the player can be blocked fromentering into any contests. The player can remain in the black statusfor a period of time, such as a 6 weeks, 6 months, a year, or othersuitable period. In some embodiments, the player can be permanentlyblocked if the player is transitioned to a black status more than once.

As is to be appreciated, other approaches can be used to track andpunish players who attempt to cheat. For example, instead of blocking aplayer after three dispute losses, in some embodiments, the player maybe blocked after few dispute losses. Alternatively, more attempts atcheating may be needed before blocking a player. In any event contestfunds management computing systems in accordance with the presentdisclosure can seek to monitor users for patterns of cheating ordeception and automatically take action to limit exposure to otherusers.

FIGS. 12-20 schematically depict simplified user interfaces that can beprovided to a player by a contest funds management computing system. Theuser interface can be presented to the player on any suitable type ofcomputing device, such as a mobile computing device, a video gamingcounsel, and so forth. Referring first FIG. 12, a main menu is depicted.The main menu can provide various options to the player, such as anupdate profile option, a load funds option, a friends list option, afind friends option, a loss limit dashboard, a rewards option, and afund contest purse option. With regard to the friends list option and afind friends option, the contest funds management computing system canallow the player to search for other players that utilize the platform.Such searching can be based on mobile phone numbers, email addresses,player IDs, and so forth. FIG. 13 depicts an example user interface thatallows a player to enter information to fund a contest purse. As shown,a competitor for the contest can be selected. Here, the competitor isshown as “PLAYER2.” Based on this selection, the contest fundsmanagement computing system can provide similar interfaces to acomputing device associated with that particular player. The player canselect the amount of funds that are to be added to the purse. As shown,the interface can include pre-populated funding amounts. Rules governingthe competition can be selected and confirmed by the players in thecompetition. In accordance with various embodiments, a ranking, rating,or other quantified metric associated with the competitor can beprovided to the player. In the illustrated example, the competitor isshown to have a “power rating” of 800. This power rating can be used bythe player to gauge the level of competitiveness of the competitorbefore entering into the contest. Once the player has supplied theappropriate information, the purse for the contest can be funded withfunds from the player's financial account, as described above.

FIG. 14 depicts a simplified user interface that can be displayed to theplayer during the competition. As shown, the user interface can providea summary of the amount of funds submitted by the players to the purseand the total purse amount. The user interface can also identify therules governing the contest. In this embodiment, the user interface alsoprovides interactive elements to allow the player to provide the contestoutcome information to the contest funds management computing system. Insome embodiments, the contest funds management computing system canrequire an input of the contest outcome information from both playersbefore finalizing the payout. In other embodiments, the contest fundsmanagement computing system can require an input of the contest outcomeinformation from one of the players before finalizing the payout.

FIG. 15 depicts a simplified user interface that can be displayed to theplayer subsequent to the contest ending but prior to the paying out thepurse to the winner. In the illustrated embodiment, PLAYER2 (i.e., theother player in the competition) is identified as the putative winner.The result can be confirmed or disputed via the interactive elementspresented on the user interface. FIG. 16 depicts a simplified userinterface that can be displayed to a player disputing the putativewinner of a contest. While a variety of techniques can be used todispute the winner, in one embodiment, the challenger can upload one ormore screen shots to establish that the putative winner is not accurate.The screen shots can, for example, show the final score of the contestor otherwise contain other information that can be used to show theputative winner did not win the contest.

FIG. 17 depicts a simplified user interface that can be displayed to aplayer subsequent to analysis of the proof of outcome provided by thechallenger. As shown, the challenger was not able to overcome theresult, and PLAYER2 was confirmed as the winner of the contest. As such,this user interface indicates that PLAYER2 was paid $30 from the purse.A game ID, shown as A123, can be a unique contest trackingidentification used by the contest funds management computing system.This example user interface also provides an account balance, which isthe amount of funds available to the player as held by a financialaccount of a financial institution, as described above. This exampleuser interface also provides an indication of the total amount lost bythe player over the past 30 days.

In accordance with various embodiments, the contest funds managementcomputing system can track and display various metrics to the player andlimit the player's ability to fund purses based on those metrics. FIG.18, for example, depicts a simplified loss limit dashboard. The losslimit dashboard provides a tally of the player's activity over a periodof time, shown here as over the past month. The loss limit dashboardprovides the player with an aggregation of the total amount of fundsused for contest purses (shown as $120) as well as the total amount lostin the past month (shown as $85). In the illustrated embodiment, theplayer has a monthly loss cap of $100, which means the player can nolonger fund purses once $100 is lost in a single month. The userinterface in FIG. 18 informs the player that only $15 remains before themonthly loss cap is reached.

FIG. 19 depicts a simplified user interface showing a profile of theplayer. The exemplary player profile includes the power rating of theplayer, the number of contests played in the past month, the number ofcontests won in the past month, as well as the player's contest history.

In accordance with various embodiments, a player can accrue loyalty orreward points through the use of their payment vehicle that is tied totheir financial account. These points can then be converted into fundsthat can be used to fund a contest purse or used for additionalpurchases with the payment vehicle. FIG. 20 schematically depicts arewards user interface that can be presented to a user. As shown, theplayer is shown to have an initial balance of $100 in their account. Theplayer also has a balance of 1,500 reward points. In this exampleimplementation, points can be converted to funds at a 10:1 ratio suchthat 1,000 points are shown be converted to $100. Once the conversiontakes places, the account balance is increased from $100 to $200 and thepoints balance is decreased from 1,500 to 500.

Referring now to FIGS. 21-24, example simplified video game interfacesare depicted that include various menus and screens to facilitate thefunding of a purse by players of the video game. The video game can beprovided by, for example, the host contest environment 328 or 428,described above. FIG. 21 depicts an example main menu that providesvarious options to the player, such as an update profile option, a loadfunds option, a friends list option, a find friends option, a loss limitdashboard, a rewards option, and a fund contest purse option.

FIG. 22 depicts an example in-game user interface that allows a playerto enter information to fund a contest purse. As shown, a competitor forthe contest can be selected. Here, the competitor is shown as “PLAYER2.”In this embodiment, PLAYER2 is also connected to the same video game viaa suitable network connection. Similar interfaces can be provided tothat player via their video game console, for example. The player canselect the amount of funds that are to be added to the purse. As shown,the interface can include pre-populated funding amounts. Rules governingthe competition can be selected and confirmed by the players in thecompetition. Once the player has supplied the appropriate information,the purse for the contest can be funded with funds from the player'sfinancial account, as described above. FIG. 23 depicts a simplified userinterface of the video game that can provide a summary of the amount offunds submitted by the players to the purse and the total purse amount.The user interface can also identify the rules governing the contest.

FIG. 24 depicts a simplified user interface that can be displayed to aplayer subsequent to the contest between the players. This userinterface indicates that PLAYER2 was paid $30 from the purse. A game ID,shown as A123, can be a unique contest tracking identification used bythe contest funds management computing system. This example userinterface also provides an account balance, which is the amount of fundsavailable to the player, as held by a financial account of a financialinstitution, as described above. This example user interface alsoprovides an indication of the total amount lost by the player over thepast 30 days.

FIGS. 25-30 schematically depict simplified user interfaces that can beprovided to a player by a contest funds management computing system. Theuser interface can be presented to the player on any suitable type ofcomputing device, such as a mobile computing device, a video gamingcounsel, and so forth. The interfaces are generally similar to thosepresented in FIGS. 12-17, however, in this embodiment the contest fundsmanagement computing system received contest outcome information from adata feed. Such a data feed can be similar, for example, to the datafeed 250 illustrated in FIG. 2. As shown in FIG. 27, a real-time conteststatus indicates that the contest has ended and that the winner isPLAYER2. Thus, the interface shown in FIGS. 25-30 can be generated by afunds management computing system similar to funds management computingsystem 200 in FIG. 2.

In some embodiments, contest funds management computing systems canfacilitate the matching of a first player wishing to enter into acontest with one or more other players that are willing to enter intothe same contest. For instance, a player interacting with the contestfunds management computing systems can dispatch an invite to a networkof players to identify a competitor. The scope of the invite can vary.In some cases, the invite may only be dispatched to a network of otherusers that are known to the player. By way of example, the player candispatch the invite to multiple players in a “friends list” or othertype of network the player might belong to and then wait for one ofthose players to accept the invite. In other cases, the player maydispatch an “open” invite that can be accepted by any user of theplatform. In one operational example, a player may first send a directinvite to a particular player to enter a contest. Next, based on thatother player either denying the request or otherwise beingnonresponsive, the player may then extend the invite to a large group ofplayers (i.e., players in their personal network). If none of thoseplayers accept the invitation, the player can then optionally extend aninvite to a larger group of players on a first come first serve basis.Thus, the contest funds management computing systems can provide playerswith multiple approaches finding a willing competitor to enter acontest.

FIG. 31 depicts an example user interface that allows a player to invitea competitor using a variety of different invitation approaches. Forinstance, the player can select the direct invite option and identify aparticular player or set of players to invite to a competition.Alternatively, the player can select the friends network invite optionto dispatch an invite to a larger group of players, with the firstplayer to accept the invite being entered into the contest. Finally, theplayer can select the open network invite option to dispatch the inviteto an even larger group of players, such as a general invite to anentire user base, with the first player to accept the invite beingentered into the contest.

As shown, the user can identify details of the contest, such as thecontest type, contest funding amount, contest rules, and so forth viathe example interface. In some embodiments, one or more of the contestdetails may be decided subsequent to another player accepting theinvite. By way of example, a player may send out an open invite for aparticular contest type. Once another player accepts the invite, bothplayers can then agree on the contest funding amount, the rules of thecontest, and so forth.

While the previously described embodiments depict player accounts beingself-funded, this disclosure is not so limited. Referring now to FIG.32, an example of funds from a third party being contributing to aprepaid account of a player is depicted. A contest funds managementcomputing system 3200 is depicted that is configured to facilitate fundstransfers of funds in account 3216 at a financial institution 3214.Similar to the previous embodiments, the account 3216 can be associatedwith a player 3238. The player 3238 also can be issued a payment vehicle3224, which is shown as a general purpose reloadable card in FIG. 32,although this disclosure is not so limited. Similar to previouslydescribed embodiments, the player 3238 can load funds into the account3216 using funds from player funding sources 3220. The funding sources3220 can include any suitable funding source, such as credit or debitcard accounts, checking accounts, savings accounts, prepaid accounts,and so forth. Further, the financial institution 3214 can load fundsinto account 3216 via any suitable transfer technique, such asintra-bank transfer, automated clearing house (ACH) transfer, and soforth.

As shown, a third party funding source 3226 can be used to load fundsinto the account 3216. The third party funding source 3226 can, forexample, be a gift that is provided to the player 3238 from the thirdparty. The third party funding source 3226 can include any suitablefunding source of a third party, such as credit or debit card accounts,checking accounts, savings accounts, prepaid accounts, and so forth.Further, the financial institution 3214 can load funds from the thirdparty funding source 3226 into account 3216 via any suitable transfertechnique, such as intra-bank transfer, automated clearing house (ACH)transfer, and so forth.

In some embodiments, the third party contributing the funds can identifythe particular player account that is being funded by way of a mobilephone number of the player 3238, an email address of the player 3238, oran account number of the player 3238. In some embodiments, the contestfunds management computing system 3200 can generate a one-time code thatcan be used by the third party to provide funds to the particular player3238. In any event, a wide variety of funding options are available tofund the account 3216 in accordance with the presently disclosed systemsand methods.

Referring now to FIG. 33, an example technique for encouraging accountformation through the sharing of information on social media networks isschematically illustrated. Similar to other embodiments, a contest fundsmanagement computing system 3300 is depicted that is configured tofacilitate funds transfers of funds in account 3316 at a financialinstitution 3314. Similar to the previous embodiments, the account 3316can be associated with a player 3338. The player 3338 also can be issueda payment vehicle 3324, which is shown as a general purpose reloadablecard in FIG. 33, although this disclosure is not so limited. Similar topreviously described embodiments, the player 3338 can load funds intothe account 3316 using funds from player funding sources 3320. Thefunding sources 3320 can include any suitable funding source, such ascredit or debit card accounts, checking accounts, savings accounts,prepaid accounts, and so forth. Further, the financial institution 3314can load funds into account 3316 via any suitable transfer technique,such as intra-bank transfer, automated clearing house (ACH) transfer,and so forth.

As shown, the player 3338 can optionally post on one or more socialnetworks 3342 a sign-up link 3340. The sign-up link 3340 can be providedin any suitable fashion, as may be dictated by the platform of thesocial network 3342. For instance, the sign-up link 3340 can promotethat the player 3338 just created an account and encourage others tofollow suit. The sign-up link 3340 can be uniquely tied to the player3338 such than when a member of the player's social network 3342activates the sign-up link 3340 to open an account with the contestfunds management computing system 3300, the player 3338 can receivecredit for the newly formed account. The credit can be provided to theplayer 3338 in a variety of suitable formats. In the illustratedembodiment, the player 3338 receives a referral bonus 3326 into theiraccount 3316. The value of the referral bonus 3326 can vary, but in someembodiments, the referral bonus may be in the range of $2-3, althoughthis disclosure is not so limited.

Furthermore, in accordance with the illustrated embodiment, the referralbonus 3326 can be deposited into a restricted funds portion 3316A of theaccount 3316. Use of the funds in the restricted funds portion 3316A canbe limited to certain activities. For example, the funds in therestricted funds portion 3316A can only be usable to fund a contestpurse. By comparison, funds in an unrestricted funds portion 3316B(i.e., funds from the funding sources 3320) can be utilized to fund acontest purse and used to make purchases anywhere that the paymentvehicle 3324 is accepted for payment.

Contests between players in accordance with the present disclosure canbe governed by various contest regulations, such as rules and settingsfor each particular contest type. To ensure fair play, each playerparticipating in the contest should be playing under the sameregulations. In some embodiments, a default set of contest regulationsfor a particular contest type are set by the contest funds managementcomputing system and are not modifiable by any of the players. Instead,each player of the contest can accept to be bound by the defaultsettings and rules, which can be displayed by the contest fundsmanagement computing system to the players via their respective userinterface prior to acceptance. The contest funds management computingsystem can facilitate funds management for a plurality of differenttypes of contests, with each contest type having a default set of rulesand settings to which players agree to be governed.

By way of a non-limiting example, the set of default regulations for a1v1 online football game can be:

Allowed Teams: Any of the current 32 NFL 2019-2020 teams.

Even Teams: Off.

Quarter Length: 5 Minutes.

Weather: Clear. Injuries: Off.

Fatigue: On.

Play Clock: On.

Accelerated Clock: Off.

No blocking field goals and punts/fake field goals and punts/defensiveplaybooks.

Onside Kicks: 4th quarter only and player onside kicking is losing.

Custom Playbooks: Not allowed

By way of another non-limiting example, the set of default regulationsfor a 1v1 online basketball game can be:

Game Style: Hall of Fame.

Quarter Length: 6 Mins. Teams:

Current 2019-2020 NBA Teams.

As provided above, in some embodiments, a user of the contest fundsmanagement computing system can enter into a contest with a player fromtheir “friends” list or entered into a contest with an unknown player(via an open invite, for example). In some embodiments, when enteringinto a contest with an unknown player, each player must agree to begoverned by the default set of regulations for the particular contestand modification of the regulations is not permitted. Controlling theregulations for each contest can assist with dispute management.

As provided in FIGS. 34-35, in some embodiments, regulations for aparticular contest can be modified under certain circumstances, ifagreed to by all players. Such modifications to the contest regulationscan be referred to as “player defined rules” (PDR), for example. In someembodiments, however, a PDR option is only available when a playerenters into a contest with a player from their friends list (i.e.,enters a contest with a player that is known to them).

In some embodiments, when PDR is utilized, the players are not permittedto lodge a dispute that is based on the rules or the settings of thecontest. Instead, only disputes regarding the winner of the contest canbe permitted. As players may agree to a wide variety of different ruleand setting variations for any particular contests, limiting disputesonly to the winner of the contest can streamline and simplify thedispute process. Further, the tie break rule for PDR can be required tobe based on a “skill outcome” as opposed to a coin toss, or other methodof chance.

By way of a non-limiting example, the set of PDR regulations for a 1v1online football game can be:

Allowed Teams: Any of the current NFL 2019-2020 teams except for SanFrancisco 49er's and Kansas City Chiefs.

Even Teams: Off.

Quarter Length: 5 Minutes.

Weather: Clear.

Injuries: Off.

Fatigue: On.

Play Clock: On.

Accelerated Clock: Off. No blocking field goals and punts/fake fieldgoals and punts/defensive playbooks.

Onside Kicks: 4th quarter only and player onside kicking is losing.

Custom Playbooks: Not allowed.

By way of another non-limiting example, the set of default regulationsfor a 1v1 online basketball game can be:

Game Style: Hall of Fame.

Quarter Length: 3 Mins.

Teams: Current 2019-2020 NBA Teams except for Golden State Warriors.

The foregoing description of embodiments and examples has been presentedfor purposes of description. It is not intended to be exhaustive orlimiting to the forms described. Numerous modifications are possible inlight of the above teachings. Some of those modifications have beendiscussed and others will be understood by those skilled in the art. Theembodiments were chosen and described for illustration of variousembodiments. The scope is, of course, not limited to the examples orembodiments set forth herein, but can be employed in any number ofapplications and equivalent articles by those of ordinary skill in theart. Rather it is hereby intended the scope be defined by the claimsappended hereto.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer-based method of contest fundsmanagement, the method performed by one or more computing devicescomprising instructions stored in a memory, which when executed by oneor more processors of the one or more computing devices, cause the oneor more computing devices to perform the method comprising: storing incomputer memory of the one or more computing devices, a first playeraccount for a first player, wherein the first player account isassociated with a first prepaid account holding funds, wherein the firstprepaid account is associated with a first payment vehicle issued to thefirst player, and where funds held in the first prepaid account areusable by the first player for payment transactions at any of aplurality of merchants using the first payment vehicle; storing incomputer memory of the one or more computing devices, a second playeraccount for a second player, wherein the second player account isassociated with a second prepaid account holding funds, wherein thesecond prepaid account is associated with a second payment vehicleissued to the second player, and where funds held in the second prepaidaccount are usable by the second player for payment transactions at anyof a plurality of merchants using the second payment vehicle;communicating with a first player computing device associated with thefirst player and a second player computing device associated with thesecond player via network communications; receiving from at least one ofthe first player computing device and the second player computing devicea contest funds request associated with a contest to be played by thefirst and second player, wherein the contest funds request identifies anamount of first player contest funds and an amount of second playercontest funds; responsive to receiving the contest funds request,placing a first authorization hold on an amount of funds in the firstprepaid account corresponding to the amount of first player contestfunds and placing a second authorization hold on an amount of funds inthe second prepaid account corresponding to the amount of second playercontest funds; subsequent to the conclusion of the contest, receiving anindication of a winner of the contest, wherein the indication of thewinner is entered into at least one of the first player computer deviceby the first player and the second player computing device by the secondplayer, wherein the winner is either the first player or the secondplayer; when the first player is indicated as the winner, removing thefirst and second authorization holds and causing the transfer of fundsfrom the second prepaid account to the first prepaid account, whereinthe amount of transferred funds corresponds to the amount of secondplayer contest funds; and when the second player is indicated as thewinner, removing the first and second authorization holds and causingthe transfer of funds from the first prepaid account to the secondprepaid account, wherein the amount of transferred funds corresponds tothe amount of first player contest funds.
 2. The computer-based methodof contest funds management of claim 1, wherein a value of a contestpurse associated with the contest corresponds to the combined amountfirst player contest funds and amount of second player contest funds. 3.The computer-based method of contest funds management of claim 1,wherein each of the first prepaid account and the second prepaid accountare maintained by a financial institution.
 4. The computer-based methodof contest funds management of claim 1, wherein the first paymentvehicle is a general purpose reloadable card and wherein the secondpayment vehicle is a general purpose reloadable card.
 5. Thecomputer-based method of contest funds management of claim 1, whereinthe first prepaid account is funded from one or more funding sources ofthe first player and the second prepaid account is funded from one ormore funding sources of the second player.
 6. The computer-based methodof contest funds management of claim 1, wherein the contest is an onlinevideo game competition between the first player and the second player,wherein the online video game competition is played on a third partygaming computing system, wherein the third party gaming computing systemis not in networked communication with the one or more computingdevices.
 7. The computer-based method of contest funds management ofclaim 1, further comprising: subsequent to receiving the indication ofthe winner, receiving an indication of a contest dispute and delayingthe transferring of funds in the contest until the dispute is resolved.8. A computer-based method contest funds management, comprising:storing, by a contest funds management computing system, a plurality ofplayer accounts for each of a plurality of players, wherein each of theplurality of player accounts is associated with a respective prepaidaccount holding funds, wherein each prepaid account is associated withrespective payment vehicle issued to the respective player, and whereinfunds held in each of the prepaid accounts are usable for paymenttransactions at any of a plurality of merchants through use of thepayment vehicle associated with the prepaid account; communicating, bythe contest funds management computing system, with a plurality ofplayer computing devices via network communications, wherein theplurality of player computing devices comprises a first player computingdevice of a first player and a second player computing device of asecond player; receiving, by the contest funds management computingsystem from each the first player computing device and the second playercomputing device a contest funds request associated with a contest to beplayed by the first and second players, wherein the contest fundsrequest from the first player computing device identifies an amount offirst player contest funds and the contest funds request from the secondplayer computing device identifies an amount of second player contestfunds; causing, by the contest funds management computing system, afirst authorization hold to be placed on an amount of funds in a firstprepaid account corresponding to the amount of first player contestfunds and a second authorization hold to be placed on an amount of fundsin a second prepaid account corresponding to the amount of second playercontest funds wherein the first and second prepaid accounts areassociated with each of the first and second player, respectively;subsequent to the conclusion of the contest, receiving, by the contestfunds management computing system, an indication of a winner of thecontest, wherein the indication of the winner is entered into at leastone of the first player computer device by the first player and thesecond player computing device by the second player, wherein the winneris either the first player or the second player; when the first playeris indicated as the winner, causing, by the contest funds managementcomputing system, removal of the first and second authorization holdsand the transfer of funds from the second prepaid account to the firstprepaid account; and when the second player is indicated as the winner,causing, by the contest funds management computing system, removal ofthe first and second authorization holds and the transfer of funds fromthe first prepaid account to the second prepaid account.
 9. Thecomputer-based method of contest funds management of claim 8, wherein avalue of a contest purse corresponds to the combined amount first playercontest funds and amount of second player contest funds.
 10. Thecomputer-based method of contest funds management of claim 8, whereineach of the plurality of player accounts are maintained by a financialinstitution.
 11. The computer-based method of contest funds managementof claim 8, wherein the first payment vehicle is a general purposereloadable card and wherein the second payment vehicle is a generalpurpose reloadable card.
 12. A contest funds management system,comprising: a financial institution maintaining funds in a first prepaidaccount for a first player and funds in a second prepaid account for asecond player wherein the first prepaid account is associated with afirst payment vehicle issued to the first player and the second prepaidaccount is associated with a second payment vehicle issued to the secondplayer; a contest funds management computing system in networkedcommunication with the financial institution, the contest fundsmanagement computing system comprising instructions stored in a memory,which when executed by one or more processors of the contest fundsmanagement computing system, cause the contest funds managementcomputing system to: store in the computer memory a first player accountfor the first player, wherein the first player account is associatedwith the first prepaid account; store in the computer memory a secondplayer account for the second player, wherein the second player accountis associated with a second prepaid account; communicate with a firstplayer computing device and a second player computing device via networkcommunications; receive a contest funds request, wherein the contestfunds request is associated with a contest to be played by the first andsecond player, wherein the contest funds request identifies an amount offirst player contest funds and an amount of second player contest fundsat stake in the contest between the first player and the second player;responsive to receiving the contest funds request, place a firstauthorization hold on an amount of funds in the first prepaid accountcorresponding to the amount of first player contest funds and place asecond authorization hold on an amount of funds in the second prepaidaccount corresponding to the amount of second player contest funds;subsequent to the conclusion of the contest, removing the first andsecond authorization holds and causing either (i) the transfer of fundsfrom the second prepaid account to the first prepaid account if thefirst player won the contest or (ii) the transfer of funds from firstprepaid account to the second prepaid account if the second player wonthe contest.
 13. The contest funds management system of claim 12,wherein an indication of an outcome of the contest is received by thecontest funds management computing system from at least one of the firstplayer computing device and the second player computing device vianetwork communications.
 14. The contest funds management system of claim12, further comprising a hosted contest environment and wherein thecontest funds request is associated with an online video gamecompetition between the first player and the second player in the hostedcontest environment.
 15. The contest funds management system of claim14, wherein the hosted contest environment is not in communication withthe contest funds management computing system.
 16. The contest fundsmanagement system of claim 14, wherein the hosted contest environmentcomprises the contest funds management computing system.